A.S. Council Divides Into Legislative and Executive Branches

UCSD’s A.S. Council will divide its weekly meetings into two starting this quarter: one for its senators and another for its executives, which includes the president, vice presidents and associate vice presidents.

Prior to this change, all members of A.S. Council met in the same meeting every Wednesday at 6 p.m. Campus-wide Senator Ryan Perez explained to the UCSD Guardian that the Council decided to modify its meeting structure in order for its members to be more efficient and productive.

“The purpose of the shift was to let these bodies do their work without having to be in one long meeting together,” Perez said. “Instead of all being together for one large meeting, people will be able to collaborate outside of the general meeting. It promotes more interaction while creating a more efficient meeting environment.”

Political bodies will also have different focuses during their respective meetings. The legislative body will vote on the budget. The executive branch will present cases in response to decisions made by the senate that affects an associate vice president’s office.

A.S. Vice President of Campus Affairs Taylor Valdivia told the Guardian that the modified meeting schedule will allow for senators in the executive branch to prepare themselves prior to voting on any policies.

“It allows representatives to attend meetings where their specializations are most utilized,” Valdivia said. “For example, senators will be able to discuss constituent feedback during senate meetings prior to voting on any legislative items.”

Valdivia also explained how the the split will affect AVPs by allowing them to work together during meetings.

“An AVP will be able to reach out to other AVPs during a council meeting if he or she is looking launch a joint office project,” Valdivia said. “Thus, the restructure will not only ensure that A.S. members are accountable for the work that they are doing, but will promote more personal growth and development.”

Perez further explained that the separation will streamline the workload for AVPs.

“The separation will allow AVPs to attend only the meetings they need to, saving them time and giving them the opportunity to work more,” Perez said. “The collaborations that happen outside of meetings will drive a more productive council with more opportunities to work together instead of trying to fit it all into one meeting a week which is what happened in previous years.”

However, Perez was originally against the Council’s decision to split the meetings.

“I originally did not want to make this goal a priority of ours because I thought the process [of organizing the changes] would take away from our true purpose, that purpose being [to represent] UCSD students and to promote business and programing within UCSD,” Perez said. “However the process was quick, and I was satisfied with the turnout.”

Perez feels that the separation will have a positive impact on UCSD even if it is not apparent to students.

“The students will most likely not notice the change, but the output will hopefully be felt in programs, initiatives, events and projects,” Perez said.